The Nebraska Cornuskers women’s tennis team (8-16, 0-11 Big Ten) head to Evanston, Ill. to participate in the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 12 seed beginning with their match on Thursday, April 24 at 10 a.m. against the No. 5 seed Illinois. Nebraska sits at 8-16 overall after a double-loss weekend last week with a 3-4 loss to Penn State and a 0-4 defeat to Ohio State. Nebraska and Illinois met earlier this season on Sunday, April 13 resulting in a 4-2 victory for the Illini. The Huskers and Illinois have met four times in Nebraska’s history with the series split between the two teams at 2-2.

Huskers In The ITA National Rankings

Nebraska remained out of the ITA Top 75 when the new rankings were released on Tuesday, April 22. There are eight Big Ten teams in the ITA Top 75 and these teams are No. 16 Northwestern, No. 17 Michigan, No. 36 Ohio State, No. 37 Illinois, No. 41 Purdue, No. 48 Indiana, No. 65 Minnesota and No. 75 Michigan State. Michigan and Northwestern are the only two Big Ten teams inside the Top 25.

The Illini are currently ranked No. 37 in the national ITA Top 75 rankings with no ranked singles or doubles players. Illinois went 14-11 in 2013 with a 6-5 mark in the Big Ten Conference. The Illini lost 4-1 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals to Purdue. The Huskers and Illini have met four times in the program’s history, with the series split at 2-2. The two teams met earlier this season on Sunday, April 13 that resulted in a 4-2 victory for Illinois.

The Big Ten Tournament

The Big Ten Tournament is a prestigious and exciting event possessing some deep talent and top programs from around the nation. It displays excellence and is a fantastic preparation tool for the teams heading to the NCAA Tournament.Eight teams enter the bracket ranked in the top 75, with the charge led by regular season conference champions Michigan on an 11-0 record.

Tournament play begins on Thursday, April 24 at 10 a.m. (CT) from the Varsity Tennis Courts in Evanston, Ill., home of the Northwestern Wildcats. Quarterfinals take place on Friday, April 25 beginning at 10 a.m. The semifinals matches are set for Saturday, April 26 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (CT) and the final match is set for Sunday, April 27 at noon (CT). The Big Ten Network will air the Big Ten Championships on Thursday, May 8, at 4 p.m. (CT).

Huskers Win the Herman For Fourth Straight Year

The women’s tennis team earned their fourth consecutive Nebraska’s Herman Award, which goes to the team with the highest team GPA of all the Huskers sports, with a GPA of 3.485. The team won the award last season in 2013 as well on a 3.78 GPA.